“The Queen of the Tearling is a brilliant tale, brilliantly told. It has everything -- magic, high adventure, mystery, and romance. Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, who was raised in exile, must reclaim her mother's throne and learn to be a ruler despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles: the Red Queen, a powerful monarch in a neighboring kingdom; the Caden, a group of assassins tasked to destroy Kelsea; and her own Uncle Thomas, Regent of Tearling, who will do anything to stay in power. Kelsea must earn the trust and loyalty of her subjects and those who would protect her, and learn to use the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense power. This is the book everyone will be reading and recommending this summer!”

— Jerry Brown, The Bookstore, Radcliff, KY

July 2014 Indie Next ListInspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers

“Georgie McCool's professional dreams are coming true and she couldn't be happier, except that it means the slow implosion of her marriage is about to speed up. Georgie's husband, Neal, and their kids leave for Christmas while Georgie stays behind to work on her new TV show and she is left alone with memories of when things were better. Those memories almost become reality when she discovers that her mother's landline can connect her with Neal in 1998, before he proposed. Landline is an incredibly emotional, honest, and often hilarious look at a marriage on the brink and the choices that must be made when dreams aren't enough.”— Paige Mushaw, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

“Jess is a single mom working two jobs to support her kids -- Nicky, her goth-like teenage stepson, and Tanzie, her math whiz daughter - who are both struggling to find their way in the world. Ed is a tech millionaire facing charges of insider trading, whose vacation home Jess happens to clean. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Tanzie throws this unlikely group together, sending them on a hellish, hilarious road trip littered with mishaps, misunderstandings, and moments of clarity. The bestselling author of Me Before You offers another unforgettable tale reminding readers that families and love stories both come in all shapes and sizes.”— Anderson McKean, Page & Palette, Fairhope, AL

“What happens if you are a teenager accused of a murder you didn't commit, the town considers you no good, and your parents agree with them? For Toni Murphy the nightmare is only beginning. She is now out on parole and with the help of her boyfriend is looking for her sister's killers. This book is a rollercoaster of suspense and when the truth is finally revealed it is a relief, but then there is yet one more unexpected twist. What a ride!”— Janice Hunsche, Kaleidosaurus Books, Fishers, IN

“The life of a sultry jazz singer in 1965 Chicago is beautifully evoked in this touching novel. Rotert alternates her narrative between Naomi, the singer, detailing how she got to Chicago in the 1950s, and the singer's somewhat neglected 10-year-old daughter, Sophia. Sophia finds a paternal figure in Naomi's most enduring suitor, the photographer Jim. Their makeshift family, along with a runaway nun, a transvestite, and a Polish emigre, try forge an existence while chasing stardom, but Naomi's past keeps dragging them down. Rotert's vivid descriptions of the tawdry jazz clubs and the deserted buildings that Jim photographs bring a sense of immediacy to this tale.”— Arsen Kashkashian, The Boulder Book Store, Boulder, CO

“In her debut novel, Owen captures the pacing and cadence of Victorian fiction without the sometimes florid language of that era. She manages to deftly balance a large cast of characters and several seemingly diverse story threads while keeping the reader guessing through all of the twists and turns in this tale. With its formal language, diverse cast of characters, explorations of prejudice and oppression, and a bloody secret at its center, The Quick is very much a Victorian gothic novel written for a 21st century reader.”— Billie Bloebaum,, Powell's Books, Inc, Portland, OR

“Howorth's debut novel is a Southern feast for the mind. As the mystery of the brutal death of a nine-year-old boy unfolds, the reader meets unforgettable characters, most notably Mary Byrd Thornton, a feisty, flawed, and often foul-mouthed wife and mother and the stepsister of the murdered child, who very reluctantly revisits the event after 30 years. Flying Shoes artfully steers the reader through some of the idiosyncrasies of life in a Southern town and deals with social and racial issues with the honesty and humor that only an insider can offer.”— Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO

“The relationship women in Western culture have with food is complicated and often fraught with strange rituals and beliefs, unhealthy behavior, guilt, and shame. While potentially triggering for those currently struggling with an eating disorder, the stories shared by the four women in this book are heartfelt and encouraging. From their friendship as roommates at an Ivy League college, each woman's life is detailed through their relationships with food and with other people at defining points in their lives. Their struggles and emotions feel very real and are often all too familiar.”— Samantha Gordon, The Library Shop, San Diego, CA

“A very contemporary and controversial subject helps make this novel scarily real. The narrator is Emily, the 14-year-old daughter of parents who both work at a nuclear power plant in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The plant melts down, both parents are killed, and there are questions about their responsibility for the disaster. Experiencing guilt by association, Emily goes on the run and ends up homeless in Burlington. She befriends a nine-year-old boy who is also on the run along with other loners looking to survive. Fast-paced, gritty, and believable, this is a novel perfect for book club discussions.”— Liza Bernard, Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT

“The Glass Kitchen is a charming story of sisters, cooking, and starting over. Portia moves to New York City to be with her sisters after a humiliating divorce from a rising political star in Texas. Like her beloved grandmother, Portia is gifted with 'The Knowing' -- an ability to 'see' a meal that she must cook, even though she does not know who the meal is for or what the circumstances might be. This is a warm and magical tale of love, family, and forgiveness -- with some delicious recipes included!”— Patricia Worth, River Reader LLC, Lexington, MO

“Dry Bones in the Valley is a beautifully crafted debut thriller with a powerful sense of place and unforgettable characters. Wild Thyme Township in rural Pennsylvania is where Henry Farrell retreated after his wife died, and he now serves as the town's lone policeman. The area's rural isolation is perfect cover for those who choose to live outside the law, and the discovery of a young man's body on the land of an elderly eccentric is the start of a complex chain of events that twist and turn like the hilly Pennsylvania roads where they occur. I look forward to reading more by Tom Bouman!”— Carol Schneck Varner, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

“In 1964 Ibby Bell's father passed away, causing her mother to abandon Ibby to the care of her eccentric grandmother, Fannie, and her grandmother's black housemaids, a mother and daughter duo named Queenie and Dollbaby. Fannie lives in an old New Orleans mansion which hasn't changed over the years, its boarded rooms harboring tragic memories from the past. With help from Queenie and Dollbaby, Ibby unearths family history that Fannie had long ago buried. Can Ibby come to terms with what she's discovered? A compelling debut novel that demands and deserves attention.”— Courtney Kane, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY

“In this poignant portrait of the lives of two friends during the Great War, Winspear draws on her skill as a storyteller to illustrate the changes and opportunities these years brought to women. Kezia and Thea both had thoughts of being teachers, but the former marries Thea's brother, a farmer, and the latter becomes a suffragist and pacifist. Both women grow and change with their circumstances, and, like many stories of the Great War, this one is not without tragedy.”— Raul Chapa, Book People, Austin, TX

“Usually when we have the eerie feeling that something or someone dark and gruesome is following us, it's just our vivid imaginations running amuck. But in The String Diaries it's a very real monstrous being who is following Hannah and her family, and it's been following them for nearly two hundred years as attested to in diaries passed to Hannah from her mother. The worst part is its ability to look like anyone - even someone Hannah loves. Prepare to grit your teeth and shudder. Yes, it's that good!”— Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, WA

“This is a quirky, geeky, wonderful, feel-good love story unlike anything you have ever read. It has poetry, black holes, dreams, astronomy, super-colliders, psychics, destiny, unrequited love, and the strangest pre-arranged marriage you will ever see. It goes from weird to serious and from funny to sad, but in the end Netzer's latest is an honest and emotional look at the nature of true love.”— Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC

“This is the story of the Mendes family who live in Bombay, India. Em is Imelda. The Big Hoom is Augustine. When they fall in love, he is handsome, reliable, and tender; she is witty, charismatic, and eccentric. But after their two children are born, it becomes clear that Em is also bipolar. The life of the family revolves around her -- her highs, her lows, her suicide attempts, and her recoveries. Told through the eyes of their teenaged son, Em and the Big Hoom is a rare story of love, pain, and laughter. Pinto weaves a beautiful tale of a family trying to be family despite the odds.”— Muir & Jenny Cohen, Waucoma Bookstore, Hood River, OR

“I have not read such a stinging portrayal of female friendship since Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye. The relationship between Mia and Lorrie Ann is a wonderful example of how things are never as they appear on the surface and of the secrets and truths we hide from both others and ourselves. Mia and Lorrie Ann's journey will leave you heartbroken in the best way.”— Liberty Hardy, RiverRun Bookstore, Portsmouth, NH

“The whale stranding happened on March 15, 2000, in the Bahamas, but as Horwitz writes in his fascinating book, every animal must adapt to survive: humans have been at it for over 100,000 years, but whales have been the dominant force in the oceans for 50 million years! This true story painstakingly details years of underwater experiments and other global incidents involving marine mammals and reads like a mystery that cannot be put down. Essential for any reader concerned about the ocean environment and our role as human caretakers of the mammals that inhabit the seas, this is a terrific read!”— Kathleen Dixon, Islandtime Books & More, Washington Island, WI

“Did you know there were such things as floating trash islands? A professor of social geography, Bonnett explores the meaning of place in our lives while taking readers to some spaces that are lost, hidden, or ephemeral. He also looks at our need to have 'a world that is not totally known and that has the capacity to surprise us.' The book's format makes it very easy to digest in either small bits or from cover to cover. Unruly Places provides a fun, vicarious way to explore, as well as a means for reflection.”— Valerie Welbourn, The Fountainhead Bookstore, Hendersonville, NC

“Absorbing, addicting, and totally fun, this is a fantastic get-away read that will keep on giving. Lizzie Bennet is an intelligent, vivacious, ambitious, quirky young woman whose interactions with friends, family, and various relationships range from the fun and hilarious to the in-depth and complicated. Her journal entries bare not only feelings and drama, but nuanced considerations of ethics, truth, communication, and the face of our new, media-centered world. With an incredibly popular companion YouTube series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, this is a wonderful way to spend a summer!”— Jocelyn Shratter, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA